One thing I have to say about the age of computers and e-mailing is that it is so much easier for people to be dicks, shitheads, impersonal and just plain rude.
My example of the week, excluding the horrible drivers I see everyday, is this...
I've been wanting a game for my Sony Playstation 2. It's called "CRAZY TAXI". I had game 1 and game 2 for my Sega Dreamcast and they were awesome. It's a fun driving game with a soundtrack of tunes by Bad Religion and The Offspring. The object of the game is you, the taxi driver, must pick up fares about town and take them to their desired destination... be it KFC, the Library, a record store or whatever. The more thrilling of a ride you give them, the bigger the tip you get. That's about all there is to it. It's just a fun game to pop in, play for a while, and shut off until another time. It's nothing complex, not needing to worry about special moves, missions, etc.
So, right after Christmas, I posted an ad on Kijiji.com. I've seen the game on eBay and sellers through Amazon.... prices range from $4.99 used to $30.00 brand new. I search EB Games at random who sell it for $14.99 when the game is in. I try to find it locally in hopes to not deal with any shipping costs. The game isn't expensive. It's just older, not impossible to find, just stores don't carry it unless it's traded in.
As I was saying, I post an ad on Kijiji. I got 3 replies within the ten days.
First one... seller has the game, no instructions or casing (no big deal)... he offers it to me for $5 but also says it's badly scratched and he's not sure if it even works... why did he bother?
Second one... seller is trying to sell 4 games, which includes Crazy Taxi... $30 for all four... I offer him $15 for two games. He soon replies back that there is great interest in the game(s) and will sell to the highest bidder. I don't go for that and pass. A day later he contacts me again, I find out he's a 12 year old, there was no other bidder(s) and he wants as much as he can get for the games. So he asks me "how much will you pay for the games?" He tells me he's a kid, too young to have a job and wants to sell his stuff for something else and wants as much as he can get. I stand on my price. "Whatever bro! It's your loss!" was his last bit to me.
Third, and most recent... someone contacts me from Thornhill. He says he's got the game, clean disc, all the instructions and so on are included. He wants $15 for it. I reply with "SOLD! Where and when can we set up the transaction?" The next evening, which is tonight, he writes me and says "I need money bad, you can have the game for $35." I reply with "Not interested." and I won't be even if he comes back with the initial offer.
It's just way too easy for people to be such jerks in this virtual world. It makes me wish I could reach through the computer screen and strangle the buggers!
One day I will have this game again... and such a$$holes will not ruin my fun.
